TAT 2012 tourism push targets India, Turkey, Indonesia

TAT Pattaya Director Athapol Vannakit said the association as received feedback and financial support from the Pattaya and Chonburi governments, the Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter and Pattaya Business & Tourism Association to raise Pattaya’s profile in India and the Middle East and build on TAT’s 2011 efforts to lure Indonesian visitors to the city.

The effort kicked off Jan. 16 with a “Pattaya & Chonburi Activities Night” at the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Cambodia.

TAT Pattaya Director Athapol Vannakit.

In February, TAT will hit India and Turkey before returning to a traditional travel market in Japan. For yet another year, TAT’s only plans to exhibit in a Western country will be at the International Travel Bourse in Germany.

The rest of TAT’s planned promotion of Pattaya will focus on domestic Thai tourism including the “Discover Thailand” show at the Queen Sirikit Convention Center, and participating in projects such as the “Help Brothers & Sisters” blanket distribution project in Tak, and the “Everyone Love the Gulf of Thailand” environmental program.

While not trade shows, such activities, Athapol said, remind potential tourists of the diverse potential of tourism and shows the association’s interest in contributing to society and the environment.